The promulgation of optical networks has been integral to the advancement of information technology. From local-, wide-, and metro-area networks to telecommunication networks to cable television networks, optical networks have brought increased services and information access to consumers. Optical networks offer the high-bandwidth needed for high-volume usage and data intensive content, such has high quality video and audio.
As optical networks become more diverse in type and more complex in operation, more optical components are needed. Network designers are often called upon to build complex systems using equipment from many different vendors. Network designers sometimes look for integrated solutions to solve their networking needs.
Some vendors have implemented component integration, sometimes called “chip-to-chip” integration to meet some of these challenges. With component integration, such as a typical variable optical attenuator multiplexer, the chip-to-chip technology may reduce the number of parts, allow for optimized insertion loss, attenuation range, and/or power consumption, and may reduce the size of the multiplexer compared to a system having each component installed separately. In a typical chip-to-chip design individual components are combined utilizing an optical adhesive or epoxy to form an optical seam. Since, however, silicon is a relatively good thermal conductor, thermal conductivity between chips and across the optical seam (i.e., thermal cross talk) becomes a concern, especially since the optical properties of the components are sometimes varied by fluctuations in temperature. For example, in some embodiments of a variable optical attenuator multiplexer, an array waveguide grating uses temperature control to maintain proper optical properties. Therefore, these component devices often utilize heat sinking and/or power management to insure proper operating temperatures are maintained throughout.